Academic Expectation Stress and Planning Mediate the Relationship Between Career and Talent Development Self-Efficacy and Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy in Adolescents

Background Adolescence is a pivotal time for career development, with career self-efficacy playing a key role in effective career counseling. Understanding adolescents’ career self-efficacy can significantly enhance their career growth. This study examined the mediating roles of academic expectation stress and planning in the relationship between career and talent development self-efficacy and career decision-making self-efficacy. Method The sample consisted of 397 adolescents (71.3% female) aged 14 to 16 years (M = 15.09 ± 0.68). Findings Career and talent development self-efficacy, career decision-making self-efficacy, academic expectation stress, and planning as a coping strategy were positively correlated. Additionally, academic expectation stress and planning each showed mediating effects, both individually and in sequence, in the relationship between talent development self-efficacy and career decision-making self-efficacy. Conclusions These results highlight the importance of academic expectation stress and planning in shaping career self-efficacy, suggesting that career researchers and practitioners should incorporate these factors into interventions designed to enhance career self-efficacy.